My Hero
by gryffindor-princess21
Summary: Ginny is having some problems with her boyfriend Dean, big time. But when he turns violent towards her, someone unexpected comes to save and comfort her…Malfoy. Set in the sixth book, following the main plot but AU in most parts.
1. Breakfast in the Great Hall

Author's note: This is my first Draco/Ginny story. It's set in the trio's sixth year but is AU to the book. You'll see what I mean in later chapters. Hope you like it!

**Chapter One: Breakfast in the Great Hall**

"Oh this sucks," Ginny groaned, reading a letter she had just received at breakfast.

"What?" asked Felicity, one of Ginny's room-mates and best friend besides Hermione and Luna. Her black hair with red, blue, purple and yellow streaks flowed around her shoulders as she leaned down towards her plate, eating her breakfast and looking at Ginny in puzzlement.

"Well, read this," said Ginny, passing the letter over to her friend.

Felicity put down her spoon and took the letter from Ginny's hands and began reading, eyes flickering down the page.

"That's sad, you don't get to go to France," she said, handing the letter. "Why were you going there in the first place?"

"Bill and Fleur are getting married, remember?" Ginny explained, tucking the letter away. "They were going to go to France to get married there, but we can't afford it."

"Bummer," said Felicity, returning to her breakfast. "Would have been a really good trip."

"Yeah, it would have," said Ginny. She sighed. "Oh well, at least I won't have to travel anywhere and we get to have the wedding at home now."

"Yeah, but you still have to put with Phlegm."

"Ugh, don't remind me, Flick," Ginny groaned, holding her head in her hands.

Felicity sniggered under her breath. "You should tell Luna about this," she said, brushing her hair back. "Say, where is Luna?"

"She's at the Ravenclaw table," Ginny replied, looking over Felicity's shoulder at the Ravenclaw table. But she felt someone was staring at her and it wasn't from the table she was looking at.

Her eyes sought for the person and found them sitting at the…_Slytherin table…Malfoy?_

Yes, Malfoy was staring at her from across the hall. And he didn't look like he was glaring at her for something to pick on, but was looking as though he was day-dreaming, with a look of longing. As Ginny looked at him in confusion he blinked, feeling her eyes on him. He sneered at her and went back to eating his breakfast.

Ginny shook her head and continued looking for Luna. At last she found her, talking to a fellow fifth year in her house. Luna turned around, saw Ginny and waved at her. Ginny waved back and motioned her to come join her. Luna nodded and got up. Ginny turned back to Felicity who was looking at her with an odd expression upon her face.

"What?" she asked, getting irritated by her staring.

"Who was staring at you and why were you looking at the Slytherin table?" asked Felicity in a low voice so the fellow Gryffindors wouldn't hear.

"Malfoy was staring at me," Ginny replied.

"What? Are you sure _he_ was staring at you? Not like glaring at you or anything?"

"No, he was defiantly staring at me and he looked like he was in a day-dream. He had a look of longing on his face. I know that look."

Felicity shook her head in disbelief.

"Hey Ginny, Felicity," said Luna in her dreamy voice, settling herself next to Felicity. "What's going on?"

"I got this in the mail," said Ginny, getting the letter from her mother out and handing it to Luna to read.

"That's a shame," said Luna, after she read the letter, handing it back to Ginny. "Maybe the Putterflys are behind this."

"What are Putterflys?" asked Felicity, confused.

"Putterflys are sprits that live on the French border," Luna explained. "They like to feed on happy couples, preferably those who are about to be wed. Although maybe they aren't behind this because most people can't see them."

Felicity rolled her eyes and decided to change the subject. "Guess what, Luna?"

"What?" asked Luna, eager to hear what it was.

"Ginny's got a new admirer," said Felicity with air. Ginny glared at her angrily.

Luna's eyes lit up. "Ohhh…who?" she whispered mysteriously.

"Draco Malfoy," answered Felicity, smirking at the look on Ginny's face. "You know, in Slytherin. The one Pansy obsesses over."

"Really?" asked Luna, with wide eyes. She glanced over her shoulder quickly to take a good look at him before turning back to her Gryffindor friends and leaning in to Ginny. "What a surprise. I wonder how long he's liked you, Ginny."

Ginny's cheeks grew red in anger. "He doesn't like me," she snapped, shaking her head. "He would _never_, in his whole entire life, like me as his 'lover'."

"Yeah, well maybe someone should ask him," Felicity sniggered. "Just to see what he says."

"Don't you dare think about it or you'll get my special hex I put on him myself last year," threatened Ginny, pointing her fork at both of her friends. "Besides, you always forget I'm with Dean."

"But things aren't going well lately, have they?" asked Felicity, her voice full of concern. "I'm worried, Ginny, he is a lot older than you. Have you ever thought he wants more from you than just kissing maybe? Or maybe he might hurt you?"

"He wouldn't make me do anything I didn't want to do or hurt me in any way," said Ginny, rolling her eyes at being told this yet _again_. "You've told me this enough times and so has Ron."

"Doesn't he do that with all your boyfriends?" Luna pointed out.

"He didn't do that with Neville, though we only went to the Yule Ball together," said Ginny thoughtfully. "But still Dean wouldn't do anything to me, but I'm avoiding him at the moment. We argued again last night," she added in a whisper. "But it's no big deal," she assured them. The two friends didn't look that all convinced

"Speak of the devil, here he comes," said Felicity, noticing that Ginny's boyfriend Dean Thomas had entered the hall with Seamus Finnigan.

Ginny panicked and ducked under the table.

"You didn't see me!" she hissed at them. "Luna, I'm sorry but can you go back to your table, please?"

"Of course, my breakfast is still sitting there. Good luck on hiding there." With that, Luna got up and returned to the Ravenclaw table.

Ginny sat under the table, waiting for him to go away from her so she could sneak out and go back to the common room. It was going to be difficult for her to slip out because her hair was so noticeable, like Felicity's was. Well, Felicity chose to have her hair like that.

"Hey Flee," said Dean, calling Felicity by a nickname he made up for her. Ginny knew she hated it a lot, but didn't have the guts to tell Ginny's boyfriend that.

"Dean," said Felicity's voice coolly, wincing at his use of the nickname she despised.

"Wasn't Ginny just sitting with you?" he asked, sounding slightly confused.

"Nope, she was still asleep when I left the dormitory and she hasn't come down for breakfast yet. Why?"

"It's really none of your business, Flee; I just wanted to talk to her about last night."

"I know what happened, Dean, she told me before we went to bed. Do you really think she's going to forgive you overnight?"

"Well yeah, I'm her boyfriend."

There was a pause during which Ginny hoped her best friend wouldn't suddenly inform Dean of his 'competition'. But she knew Felicity wouldn't do that, it would betray her trust, that's the sort of thing Slytherins do and Felicity wasn't one. She was loyal, true to the Gryffindor name. She saw Felicity stand up suddenly, her hands on her hips.

"I know you're her boyfriend, but sometimes you have to give her space, don't be in her face all the time if you know what I mean."

"You are!"

"But I'm her friend and I do give her space when she either asks or when I can tell she needs space. If that's all you came down here for, to talk to me then bugger off before I tell her you have been harassing me about her again."

There was a silence and then Ginny saw Dean's shoes walk away from Felicity, Seamus following him behind him.

"And stop calling me Flee!" she yelled after him. She sat back down and looked under the table at Ginny. "You alright?"

"Yeah. Thanks for covering up for me; I don't want to see him for awhile. How am I going to sneak out of the hall without him seeing me? I can't wait for him to leave all day!"

Felicity stuck her wand under the table and muttered something. Ginny felt a shiver go down her back and she felt all the colour drain out of her…literally.

"I knew that spell would come in handy one day," Felicity said happily, pleased at her spell-work. "Come on, Ginny, he won't be able to see you now."

Ginny crawled out from under the table and followed Felicity out of the hall. Once they were back in the common room, Felicity muttered the counter curse and warm flowed through Ginny's body as the colour returned to her.

"I hate it when he calls you Flee and he's so disrespectful to you! I'll have a word with him about it," snarled Ginny.

"Calm down, Gin," said Felicity, grabbing Ginny's shoulders. "He's not worth it, I'll tell him myself. Don't need you two in a fight again."

"Who's fighting with Ginny?" asked a familiar voice. Hermione Granger was walking towards them, having just come back from breakfast_._

'_Thank Merlin for Ron's huge stomach,'_ thought Ginny, knowing that he was still eating breakfast with Harry.

"Oh hi, Hermione," said Ginny warmly, greeting her other best friend.

"Dean and her fought again last night," Felicity informed her. "She's trying to avoid him so she ducked under the table in the hall."

"Please don't tell Ron," Ginny begged.

"Of course I won't," said Hermione quickly. "Sorry to cut the conversation short, but I have to head to Potions; don't want Slughorn to be mad at me for being late."

"See you later, Hermione," both fifth year girls said as Hermione hurried out of the portrait hole.

"Ginny, I'll be back in a minute, going upstairs to get my things. I'll get yours too, shall I?" Felicity asked. Ginny nodded and Felicity hurried off up to the girls dormitory.

Ginny smiled to herself, glad to have girls like Felicity, Hermione and Luna as friends. She was more surprised she and Felicity were friends; they had nothing in common when she had met her in first year and they didn't get along. In second year, they talked a lot which annoyed the other girls in the dormitory greatly.

Felicity Higgins was tough and fierce like Ginny and had a different personality to the other girls in their year. She liked to dye her straight, but slightly wavy hair a lot much to her mum's disapproval who would rather see Felicity's hair at its normal colour, blonde. Felicity had dyed her hair black by magic and added red streaks in it before thinking she would be more insane and add blue, purple and yellow in the mix. She avoided using pink as she hated the colour and green as it represented Slytherin and thought the colour was ugly anyway.

She had unique colour in her eyes, dark violet and liked to wear black and red jewellery and owned an electric guitar except that she couldn't play it while she was at Hogwarts because of the magical barrier with Muggle objects. She couldn't go without listening to her rock music so with the help of Hermione, she got around it and listens to her music with no trouble at all.

Felicity was a half-blood, her father was a wizard and worked as a Healer at St Mungos while her mother was a Muggle and worked as a lawyer_._

"_Kind of like a debater, someone who argues for a person who's guilty of a crime or not," Felicity had explained to Ginny when she had asked what they were. _

She also has a little brother named Max who's turning eleven in June and so would be attending to Hogwarts next year. According to Felicity, he is very excited and is jealous of his sister and hopes to be just like her. Felicity loves her little brother, but says he's very annoying as he asks an average of five hundred questions a day about anything.

Felicity returned from the dormitories carrying two bags. She gave one to Ginny and headed out of the portrait hole, Ginny following behind her.

As she sat in her first lesson, History of Magic, Ginny thought about her relationship with Dean. It wasn't going well, Ginny had to admit. She felt as if their relationship wasn't as a couple, but was more of friends…well not really when they were arguing.

Ginny sighed and stared out the window. She just didn't feel like she really loved him anymore, not as much as she did when they started going out.

'_There's someone else, maybe…not Harry, he's always got so much on his plate and I got over him a long time ago. I only had a crush on him because he was famous. But I think he fancies Felicity, he always glances at her when she's not looking. I know she fancies him, even though she hasn't told me, but I can tell…'_

She closed her eyes and saw a boy with white blonde hair, grey eyes and a pale face staring at her, a look of longing on his face, desire flanking his features…what a handsome face he had…

She snapped her eyes open. _'No, not Malfoy…I couldn't possibly fall for Malfoy with just one look at him. Besides he's the son of a family my parents hate…and he _hates_ me. Why would he have been staring at me like that?'_

Ginny shook herself out of her thoughts and started taking notes, not wanting to fall behind in class…again.

She had seen him doing it. Seen him staring at her from across the hall while she ate breakfast, talking to her black haired friend. Higgins, the black haired girl, had also seen him at it.

He really wasn't sure why he was staring at her in the first place. He was just sitting there, minding his own business and his eyes suddenly found her and he was entranced by her. But he couldn't be staring at her, he hated her.

'_Don't say that, you know that's not true,'_ a voice in his head said. Draco shook his head, thinking he might be ill. Why else would he have thought he longed for the Weasley?

"Hey mate, you alright?" asked Blaise Zabini, a look of concern on his face. Draco blinked and looked at his best mate.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he muttered, running his fingers through his blonde hair. "Might be feeling ill, that's all."

"Yeah, I would be too if she was after me," said Blaise darkly, continuing to eat his breakfast.

"What?" asked Draco, shocked. Weasley after him already? No, she's with Mudblood Thomas.

"It's Pansy," Blaise dropped his voice so that no one around would hear him. "She's after you, big time. Word is that she's brewing up a love potion to sneak into your drink any time we're eating or she's going to buy some food and inject the potion into that."

"She's that desperate?" Draco asked, bewildered. He shook his head. "She doesn't get it, does she? I don't like her in that way…in fact I don't even like her as a friend, she is such a _bitch_."

"Well that's Pansy for you," said Blaise. "So from now on, I would be very careful about what you drink and avoid her as well."

"As if I already don't try to avoid her at all," scowled Draco. He must have hinted to her about a hundred times that he's not at all interested in her, not since the Yule Ball when she nearly threw him into the wall because he wouldn't dance with her till the end of the night. And he was pushed into taking her as his date anyway.

He felt someone staring at him again and looked up in time to see 'Loony' Lovegood turn back around to little Weasley and Higgins, their heads leaned in as they whispered about something. He snarled at them and returned to his breakfast, reading the _Daily Prophet_.

_Five minutes later…_

"Come on, Draco, let's go get our bags, class starts in fifteen minutes. Do you want Slughorn punishing us for being late?"

"No, I don't," replied Draco, folding up the newspaper and putting it back in his pocket, making a mental note to chuck it out later. He was about to get up when he heard a yell from across the hall.

"And stop calling me Flee!"

Draco looked around to see Higgins standing up, hands on her hips as Thomas and Finnigan walked away from her. Looking closely under the Gryffindor table, he saw Weasley curled up as though she was hiding.

'_Why she hiding from her Mudblood boyfriend Dean? Thought she was all over him. But hey it's so funny to see her where she belongs, on the floor! Poor girl…'_

"Draco, you coming?" Blaise asked, bringing Draco out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming. Hold your horses," he muttered as he and Blaise left the Great Hall, the sight of little Weasley hiding under the table fresh in his mind.

Author's note: Thanks for reading and please review! I love them.


	2. You Didn't Deserve That

**Chapter Two: You didn't deserve that…**

Ginny was having a good day. She had so far managed to avoid Dean or Seamus for that matter by quickly leaving lessons as soon as they had ended and not staying too long in the corridors. She had eaten her lunch very fast and went to the library, getting some unfinished homework for Snape done and ate her dinner very fast again.

She was now in the library again, but was about to be shooed out as it was nearly nine thirty. She sighed and packed her books away and put away the library books she was using back on the shelves.

'_Now to go and have a good night's sleep,'_ she thought, as she picked up her bag and left the library. She got to the fifth floor before she heard familiar footsteps behind her. _'Oh no, not now,'_ she thought and she tried to find a place to hide, but couldn't see one. The footsteps came closer.

"Ginny!"

Ginny silently groaned and turned around to see Dean walking towards her.

"Hi Dean," she said, trying not to sound disappointed.

"I've been looking for you everywhere! I didn't see you at dinner."

"Well that's because I wasn't there for long," Ginny answered quickly.

"Can we talk? In here?" he asked, jerking his head in the direction of an empty classroom. Ginny sighed not seeing a way out if this and followed him into the classroom, bracing herself for a yelling match.

* * *

Draco was walking along a deserted corridor after dinner. He was avoiding Pansy as usual, just like Blaise had told him to. She didn't seem to grasp the fact that Draco didn't like her and will never go out with her. Besides the fact she was very ugly as most Slytherin girls were, she was the gossip queen of the school and the meanest bitch. If Draco ever told her anything that was private, the school would hear about it in about an hour and his father would know the next day.

He usually never talked about anything personal in front of Pansy, then again who did he have to talk to about anything? Only Blaise seemed to listen to him.

Angry voices from a classroom to his left interrupted his thoughts. "For heaven's sake can't they lower their voices? The whole castle will hear them!" he muttered angrily.

He walked past the door where the voices were coming from and curiosity got the better of him_. 'I wonder who's arguing,'_ he thought as he leaned against the door to listen.

"For Merlin's sake, this isn't about my brother!"

"Yes, it is! He's hated me ever since he found out we were going out and it's been seven months! You would think me and Seamus would be mad at him for going out with Lavender. You know _they_ used to go out!"

"Honestly Dean, you don't know about Ron. He's just trying to protect me."

"Trying to protect you? Why does he think I would harm you? As if I would do that to you!"

"I know you wouldn't intentionally hurt me, but he's afraid and so is Harry-"

"Oh don't you dare bring Potter into this!"

Draco's eyes widened as he listened to the argument. So Weasley wasn't happy that his little sister was going out with Mudblood Dean Thomas, was he? And neither was Potter by the sounds of it…

"What have you got against Harry? He's my friend!"

"I think he has more than friends on his mind! Didn't you notice when he and Ron caught us kissing after Qudditch practice a couple of weeks ago? He looked like he wanted to kill me! I don't know what's got into him, but he also hates me because he fancies you!"

"That's ridiculous!"

'_This is getting boring,'_ thought Draco, and he started to walk down the hallway. He didn't get far when he heard a shout, then the sound of someone being slapped across the face.

He turned around and ran back to the door in time to hear Ginny yell, "What the hell did you do that for, you bloody idiot! You just said before you wouldn't hurt me!"

"It's your fault! You were being stupid! You don't realise that Potter likes you!"

"Yeah, well I don't like him in the same way in case you haven't noticed!" Ginny sighed and then muttered angrily, "What's Ron going to say when he sees I've been slapped across the face?"

"Oh here we go again!" yelled Dean. "Bring it back to your dear brother, why don't we?" A chair was pushed roughly aside and Dean approached the door.

Draco hid behind a suit of armour and waited until Dean had disappeared down the corridor. He stayed behind the suit of armour, waiting for little Weasley to leave the room.

But she didn't come out; instead he could hear her crying.

Draco froze, wondering whether he should just leave or go and comfort her.

'_Why would you even think of comforting her?'_ his brain screamed at him. _'She's a Weasley, a blood-traitor. Like Mudbloods, she is nothing to waste your time on.'_

He half agreed with this thought. She was a Weasley and was worth nothing of his time, but yet she was slapped in the face, no one deserves to be hit like that and he knew how it felt.

Before he could argue against it anymore, Draco stepped out from behind the suit of armour and quietly pushed the door open.

Ginny was sitting on one of the desks sobbing, her head in her hands and flaming red hair hanging down in front if her face, her back to him. She thought she heard someone come in and ignored them. Draco cleared his throat and Ginny lifted her head up, not looking behind her.

"If you came here to say you're sorry, Dean, then fuck off, I don't want to hear it," she said hotly, before putting her head in her hands again.

"Charming, Weasley, I don't suppose you learnt that language from your darling brother," Draco drawled, smirking.

Ginny turned around and glared at him furiously.

"If you came here to mock me for crying, Malfoy, then forget it. I bet there are better things for you to do than be seen alone with a Weasley."

"Actually, I came here because I heard Thomas slap you," said Draco, stepping away from the doorway and walking towards Ginny. "Why did he do that to you?"

"Since when do you care?" Ginny asked, frowning.

"No one deserves to be hit like that," Draco replied quietly. "Especially when you didn't do anything wrong. Now answer my question, Weasley."

Ginny looked away from him, sallowing hard. "He hit because I wouldn't admit that I knew Harry liked me and he thought I may have feelings for Harry."

"And do you?" Draco asked.

"No!" Ginny exclaimed, looking horrified at the thought. "I mean, I used to like him, but I got over him long before I started going out with Dean because I realised I only liked him because of his fame. But maybe it's because I talk to him a lot that's got Dean suspicious. I deserved that slap."

"Don't you dare think you deserved to be hit!" Draco exclaimed, siting down on a desk so that he was opposite Ginny. "Don't go around making the person think it was your fault that they hit you. Don't let them think you provoked them to do that. It makes them think that it's okay for them to hit you when it's not."

"How would you know, Malfoy? The only person who ever slapped you across the face was Hermione," Ginny said, glaring at him.

"She not the only one who's hit me," Draco muttered darkly, and he looked out the window.

"Who's hit you?" Ginny asked, her voice suddenly filled with sympathy.

Draco was silent. He said too much already, he should stop right there. He didn't need sympathy from her and he certainly didn't need to give her any. Which is what he was doing before.

"Come on, Malfoy, you can tell me. I'm not going to tell anyone. I'm not Pansy."

At this sentence, Draco relaxed a bit and turned to face her.

"My father hits me a lot," he said in a very low voice. He looked down at the floor. "He hits me and Mother a lot like we're scum or something. I have no idea what he's got against me, I do everything he tells me to do, and he practically runs my life."

"You don't deserve to be hit by your own father like that," Ginny whispered. "Please don't tell anyone about me and Dean arguing."

"As if I would!" Draco smirked. "I don't even talk to your brother!"

Ginny smiled. "I'm going back to my dormitory now. By the way does the mark look bad?" she asked Draco, looking worried.

"Let's see," Draco said, as Ginny turned her face to the left and he saw a dark, red mark streaking down her cheek. "Oh, it looks bad," he grimaced

"Great," Ginny mumbled. "Ron's going to think he hit me."

She got off the desk and went to leave the room when she turned around at the doorway to look back at Draco. "Thank you, by the way. I won't be coming back to the common room looking like I've just been crying." With that she left the room.

Draco sat there for a few minutes before deciding he should head back to the common room before curfew started. He got up and headed down the corridor.

* * *

"Where have you been?" Felicity bellowed down the corridor from the portrait hole. "You said you'd be back by nine-thirty, it's now –" she checked her watch, "- ten-twenty-five! What took you so long?"

"I'll tell you when we get in the dormitory," Ginny replied, as she climbed into the portrait hole and into the common room. "I need to ask Harry something first."

Felicity looked at Ginny with a puzzled look on her face, then shrugged and followed Ginny over where Harry sat alone, doing his homework. He seemed deep in concentration as he wrote an essay, with many textbooks open in front of him.

Ginny laughed. "I never thought I would see the day when you would turn into the male version of Hermione."

Harry looked up at her and pulled a face, then smiled.

"Hey Ginny," he said warmly. "Felicity," he nodded at Felicity who turned a bit red, but only Ginny saw that and she smiled.

'_I knew Felicity fancied Harry, good for her,'_ she thought happily.

"Sit here you two," he said, lifting stacks of parchment and books off two chairs and Ginny and Felicity collapsed onto them.

"Where's Ron and Hermione?" Ginny asked, looking around.

"Prefect Patrol," Harry answered, finishing a sentence on his essay. Putting his quill down, he glanced up at Ginny. "You alright? You seem tired and down lately."

"Oh I'm fine," Ginny replied, waving her hand dismissingly. "I just wanted to ask you something before Ron came back, that's all."

"Ok, I'm all ears," Harry said, leaning back in his chair, putting his hands behind his head.

Ginny paused as if wondering whether she should ask whether he actually fancied her or not, but thought the better of it. This wasn't the time; she'll ask later.

"What's that spell you use to block off people listening in on your conversations?" she asked as casually as she could.

Harry raised his eyebrows. "You're seriously asking me that? Why do you need to know?"

Felicity looked at Ginny in confusion. But Ginny knew what she was doing.

"You know how Flick and I like to have private conversations at bedtime?" Harry nodded. "Well the girls like to listen in, no matter how many times they tell us to shut up and we're getting sick of it. I've heard Hermione complaining about this spell of yours so I was wondering what it was."

Harry looked at her blankly for a couple of seconds then reached into his school bag and pulled out his potions book.

"And what spell would you find in there?" Felicity asked, watching him intently.

"Oh, this isn't just a potions book," Harry replied, a sneaky smile on his face. "This is my little teacher, someone's written all these useful spells in the book." He searched through the book.

"Wouldn't those be dangerous?" Felicity asked, concerned. "I mean like they might not have been tested, don't you think –"

"Speaks like Hermione, doesn't she?" Harry quietly asked Ginny, and they both laughed. Felicity blushed and didn't say any more. Harry finally found the page he was looking for.

"Here we are," he said, handing over the book to Ginny who saw a spell written in black ink.

_Muffliato: fills the ears of people nearby with an unidentifiable buzzing so that they don't hear private conversations._ She copied this on a slip of parchment and put it in her pocket and then turned to leave.

"Hang on a minute, Ginny, what's that on your face?" Harry asked, sounding concerned.

"What in the world? Oh my god, Ginny! Who hit you?" Felicity exclaimed, also concerned and panicking at the same time.

"Will you calm down you two?" Ginny hissed. "Please, Harry, don't tell Ron or Hermione I've got this red mark on my face. Ron will freak."

"But they're going to see it anyway," Harry pointed out "It's really noticeable."

"I'll cover it up," Ginny snapped. "Thanks for the spell, Harry. Goodnight."

She mentioned Felicity to come with her. Felicity nodded. "N-n-night, Harry," she stuttered nervously. She then jumped up and went up the girls' staircase. Harry looked at Ginny in confusion and she just shrugged.

"Night Ginny," Harry said, returning to his essay.

Ginny nodded and followed Felicity up the stairs. She entered the dormitory to find the other four girls sitting up in their beds talking. Felicity came out of the bathroom wearing her nightgown, still looking red in the face. Without a word, she climbed into her bed and lied there, deep in thought.

Ginny shook her head and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. When she came out, she got into the bed and took the slip of parchment with the spell she copied. She mumbled, "_Muffliato_", and turned to Felicity.

"What was that about?"

Felicity blinked and looked at her. "What was what?"

"You looked nervous around Harry."

"Really? I didn't notice. Anyway, two questions. One, why were you back so late and two, who hit you?"

Ginny sighed and told Felicity about Dean finding her and wanting to 'talk'. She then went on to the argument and Dean hitting her.

"He actually _slapped _you?" Felicity gasped. "I thought he might do something, I was afraid he would. Are you going to be okay?"

Ginny sighed. "I don't know. I can't see this relationship working out in the long run, we've been like this for a while now and I'm worried."

"Ginny, you have every right to be," Felicity said. "You didn't deserve to be slapped like that."

'_Malfoy thought so too,'_ Ginny thought, and for a second she considered of telling Felicity how Malfoy overheard the argument and comforted her. But then she thought she would keep it to herself. For awhile at least.

"I would really like to have a word with that bastard…" Felicity mumbled, sounding like she was about to fall asleep.

"Felicity Sabrina Higgins, I forbid you to-" Ginny started to say, but Felicity's heavy breathing told Ginny that she was asleep.

Ginny mumbled the counter-curse for _Muffliato _and placed her wand on her bedside table, thinking hard.

Why did Malfoy come to comfort her? It was really unexpected of him to do that and he spoke so kindly to her. His words were full of encouragement, supporting her, telling her it wasn't her fault for Dean's sudden anger towards her. He really didn't have to do that, but he did…who knew he actually had a nice side to him?

She thought back to breakfast when she saw Malfoy looking at her from across the hall. Did he like her? Nah, no way in hell, she already debated this with herself this morning in History of Magic.

But then why did he comfort her after Dean hit her?

'_Because he just happened to be there, happened to overhear it happen. Like they say, right place at the right time. If that was the case, he should have been in his common room.'_

But he comforted her because he knew how she was feeling, feeling like she deserved to be slapped in the face, that it was her fault, she provoked Dean to hit her. Malfoy told her it wasn't her fault, but Dean's…

'_Such a nice, sweet, handsome, sexy, gorgeous guy…too bad he'll go back to hating me in the morning…'_ she thought as she feel asleep.

**Author's Note: So, what do you think? Please let me know, it means a lot. Thanks for reading! :D**


	3. Dealing with Pansy and Dean

**Chapter 3: Dealing with Pansy and Dean**

Ginny woke up the next morning, her cheek still stinging from Dean slapping her. She got up and went into the bathroom to look at it in the mirror. It looked pretty bad, the red mark covered up most of her left side of her face while the white outline of five fingers were clearly seen in the red.

She sighed, wondering how on earth she was going to cover it. No foundation or powder was going to hide it as it would make her face darker.

"You could always try _'Vanisola'_," Felicity spoke up, walking into the bathroom to fix her hair.

"You sure that'll work?" Ginny asked Felicity. She nodded and turned to the mirror.

Ginny went to her bedside table and grabbed her wand. She returned to the bathroom, pointing her wand at her check muttering, "_Vanisola_." The red melted into her skin, turning back to bled in with the rest of her face.

"See? Now you can't see it at all," said Felicity, brushing her hair, eyes fixed on the mirror. "No one will be able to tell that someone had hit you at all. It only lasts eight hours so you'll have to recast the spell at four."

Ten minutes later, Ginny and Felicity headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast, Felicity complaining loudly about her mum not letting her go to some rock concert she was hoping to attend next summer. Ginny grinned at her friend for having some nerve of thinking of sneaking out and going anyway, but at the same time she was distracted by her thoughts.

So distracted she walked right into a sixth year who was coming out of the Great Hall.

"Watch where're you going, little Weasel," snarled Malfoy, pushing past Ginny and Felicity.

A look of hurt crossed Ginny's face, but she shook it off and went into the hall, sitting down at the Gryffindor table. _'I thought he would go back to hating me in the morning', _she thought bitterly.

"Oh Gin-ny…"

"What?" she asked irritably as her big brother, Ron sat down next to her. "Come to hassle me about Dean have you?" She started piling her plate with eggs and bacon.

"No, but I need to talk to you," Ron replied, watching his sister take three pieces of toast.

"You can talk to me now, I'm right here," said Ginny, putting spaghetti and sausages on her plate.

"Not with her here," Ron growled, glancing at Felicity.

"Honestly, Ron, do I have anything better to do than listen to what you have to say?" Felicity drawled sarcastically.

"Ron, whatever you have to say in front in me can be said in front of her," Ginny frowned. "She's not going to spread it around the school, unlike Pansy Parkinson."

"Fine." Ron paused and looked down at the ground before looking back up. "I want to break up with Lavender," he whispered.

"What a _surprise_!" Felicity said loudly, rolling her eyes.

Ron glared at her and turned to his sister. "She just won't let go of me. I've been trying to hint to her that I want to end it ever since I came out of the hospital wing, but she won't listen. What am I going to do?" He buried his face in his hands.

Ginny froze, not knowing what to do about this. She can't see why Ron should just say, "I want to break up with you" to Lavender, but he was probably too scared to break her heart. More like not gamed enough to tell her.

At that moment, Harry and Hermione came into the hall and sat down.

"What's up mate?" Harry asked, pulling a bowl of porridge towards him.

Ron looked at Harry and mouthed something along the lines of, "I'll tell you later, mate, not with Hermione here". Harry nodded and ate in silence.

Hermione thankfully didn't see the boys communicating silently and read the _Daily Prophet_ instead. Although, Ginny thought she spotted Hermione glance suspiciously up at her for a few seconds, but thought she was imagining it and ate her breakfast.

* * *

"Stupid Professor Trelawney, telling me danger is awaiting me, as if I don't get that enough already, stupid old cow," Ginny muttered, as she headed up to the library. "As if she can really see the future –"

"If she could, you would find a way to get rid of Thomas."

Ginny jumped in fright and look round to see Malfoy standing not far behind her. Where did he come from? She didn't even hear him coming.

"Malfoy, you scared me you little ferret," she snarled angrily.

"I noticed, little Weasel," Malfoy drawled dryly. "Just wanted to see how you were since Thomas hit you last night."

Ginny looked at him utterly surprised before answering. She didn't expect he would bring it up, she wouldn't have dared to. "Of course I'm okay. Don't worry, no one knows you overheard."

"Good," said Malfoy, and he dropped his voice to a kind whisper. "He really shouldn't have done that. Does your brother know?"

"No," Ginny replied, shaking her head. "I didn't see him before I went to bed, thank goodness. Harry saw the mark, but I didn't tell him."

Malfoy nodded, looking at where the mark was hidden. "You can't even see it," he replied, trying to get a closer look.

Ginny stepped back, feeling a bit uncomfortable all of a sudden. "That's because I used _'Vanisola'_, it hides the mark for about eight hours."

Malfoy nodded again. "Well, at least you're okay." He gave her a small smile and walked away.

Ginny watched him go with a confused look on her face. He hated her this morning and then suddenly he was being nice to her again. He was even trying to lean in towards her more. She knew he was trying to see the mark, but maybe it was something else.

He even smiled a little. Not a Malfoy sneer or smirk, but an actual smile. He had never smiled before as far as she knew…

* * *

While walking back down to the Slytherin common room, Draco asked himself why he was suddenly being nice to little Weasel. A few days ago, he hated her and was a bit scared of her ever since she had put a Bat-Bogey hex on him last year. But now, he seemed to be becoming a bit nicer to her which was a bit creepy…

Draco had glanced behind at the little Weasley and Higgins walk into the Great Hall after they bumped into him and seen the hurt reflected in little Weasley's eyes. He nearly hit himself, he didn't mean to be so rude to her…if she was alone he would have said a civil 'hello' and asked how she was after Thomas had slapped her.

He caught up with her just now and noticed that she had hidden the red mark. He was glad no one knew about him comforting her after Dean had slapped her, but he couldn't stop thinking why that was the case. She usually would have run off and told Mudblood Granger and Higgins about him being nice for once in his life, but she said she didn't tell anyone…

"Snakes," Draco said to the stone wall that hid the Slytherin common room. The wall melted away and he stepped inside, a loud scream of delight welcoming him.

"Hi Draco!" Pansy Parkinson ran up to him and threw herself at him for a hug.

Draco stood in horror for a few seconds before trying to get Pansy off him. Finally he shook her off and headed to the boys' dormitories.

"Draco, wait! I have something for you!" Pansy was following him down the stairs to the sixth year boys' room.

"Ah, ah, ah, you're not welcome in the boys' area," Draco drawled, shaking a finger at her and clicking his tongue impatiently. "Not since you decided to sleep in the same bed as Nott and nearly squashed him to death. And you're certainly not going to do the same thing to me, I'm afraid."

"What do you mean?" Pansy asked, the colour draining from her face.

"I'm saying; don't think you'll ever get in the same bed as me because to tell you the truth, I don't fancy you -"

"Blah, blah, blah, Draco, you've told me this before," Pansy interrupted, rolling her eyes. "But you're all talk really. Are you in love with another girl or something? Because maybe that's why you won't be with me or maybe –", she smirked at this thought, "- you're gay."

Draco felt very offended at these words. "I'm not gay! How could you say something like that!" he shouted, making Pansy back away.

"Ok, ok, geez, Draco, don't get so worked up. Well if that's not it then who is prettier than me that's got your attention?"

Draco froze as a red-haired girl appeared in his head, but he shook it off, mentally hitting himself.

'_I can't like her; she's a good-for-nothing blood-traitor! She's foul and rude and hangs around Scarhead and she's best friends with streak-head Higgins. But yet she is-'_

Pansy cleared her throat, rudely interrupting his thoughts; she wasn't used to being ignored. Draco jerked out of his insanity and glared at her.

"Honestly, Pansy, do I always have to be in love with someone every single minute? No, there are more important things than you or any other girl in the world for that matter. Now if you excuse me, I have other business to attend to."

He shooed her back up the stairs and headed into the sixth year dormitory, closing the door behind him. He reached into his pocket and drew out a letter he head received this morning at breakfast, but hadn't read it yet as he was waiting for privacy.

_**Draco,**_

_**Snape has informed me that you are not doing much to your plan lately and not taking this seriously. This is not good enough as the Dark Lord will not be able to carry out his plan in time and you cannot afford to mess this up. You know what's at stake. Your mother's life is on the line and yours will be too if you don't get your act together. **_

_**I'm warning you, Draco, concentrate on the plan. Do not spend so much time on schoolwork; do not think you need friends to help you with this. You and you alone have been chosen to do this. Do not disappoint me like you always have.**_

_**Lucius**_

Draco swallowed hard, his hands shaking as he re-read the letter. He felt scared. He knew he hadn't been doing much about his 'mission', but he didn't know what he was doing. People kept getting in his way all the time and he couldn't really get away and continue with what he was planning.

_**Your mother's life is on the line and yours will be too if you don't get your act together.**_If he didn't do something soon, the only person who cared about him would be dead…and so would he.

The door suddenly opened and Draco drew out his wand, quickly stuffing the letter out of sight. It was only Blaise and he looked shocked when he saw Draco had his wand out, pointing at him.

"What did I do?" he asked, closing the door behind him.

"Nothing, I thought it was Pansy," Draco muttered, stuffing his wand back in his robe pocket. "She was trying to hit on me again and get into our room."

Blaise shivered uncomfortably. "I don't want her in here again, not after what happened to Nott. He couldn't get to sleep for weeks after she was finished with him. The slut."

Draco snickered in agreement. "I wonder how many guys she's been with since second year, from Slytherin of course."

"Um, well basically everyone who's a year above us and nearly everyone in our year except you," Blaise replied. "Not counting the date for the Yule Ball of course, you didn't snog her."

"A good thing too, her perfume smelled awful."

"I remember the week she decided that I was her next guy…that was the worst week of my life, honestly. I was glad when it was over. She's a terrible kisser."

There was a knock on the door and Pansy poked her head in, opening the door wide and bringing in a box that was wrapped up.

"What did we tell you about being in our room?!" both boys shouted at her. "Get out!"

"Alright I will," Pansy snapped. "I was just leaving some cupcakes I made for Draco. They're chocolate. You can have some if you want to, Blaise," she added, winking at him.

"No thanks," Blaise snapped, a look of disgust on his face.

"Fine then. For you, Draco," she said sweetly, handing him the box.

"Thanks," Draco mumbled, not meeting her eyes.

She smiled, a little evil look reflected in her eyes. "Enjoy," she said, and strolled out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"Don't eat them," Blaise said immediately, looking at the box as Draco unwrapped it, revelling a box of cupcakes. "She's inject them with a love potion, I'm sure of it."

"I know a way to test that," Draco replied, pulling out his wand. The door opened again and Crabbe and Goyle walked in, dropping their bags on the floor. Their arrival gave Draco an idea.

"Crabbe, Goyle, care for one of these home-made cupcakes Pansy made me?" Draco asked, holding out the box.

Blaise looked at him in shock. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Testing the cakes. It won't kill them," Draco muttered under his breath. "They're chocolate flavoured," he added, turning back to Crabbe and Goyle.

Goyle mumbled something about being full from lunch, but Crabbe greedily took all of the cupcakes from the pack of eight and began stuffing his mouth with them.

Draco stared at Crabbe in astonishment. _'Gee, I didn't think he was that thick to be honest,'_ he thought in amusement.

Crabbe ate all the cupcakes, suddenly having a dreaming look on his face. "Where's that beautiful girl named Pansy?" he asked, looking around the room.

Before anyone could say anything, he hurried out of the room and up the stairs to the common room in pursuit of looking for her.

Blaise looked at Draco in disbelief. "Draco, you are so evil it's not funny," he said, fighting back to not laugh.

Draco smirked. "That'll keep Pansy busy for awhile trying to deal with a love-struck Crabbe. Has she been with him yet?"

"No," Blaise said.

"Good," Draco replied, his smirk widening. "Now if you will excuse me, I have a class to attend to." And with that, he picked up his bag and left the room.

* * *

"Dean, get _away _from me!" He was after her again, catching her as she was heading to Charms, four days after he had slapped her.

"Come on, Ginny, stop avoiding me!"

"Say you're sorry for hitting me!"

"Alright! I'm sorry!"

"Do you mean that or are you just saying that because I told you to?"

Dean hesitated. "Um…well I –"

"You don't mean it," Ginny sighed, feeling depressed. "Whatever happened to the Dean I fell in love with? What happened to the Dean who said he would never do anything to me or harm me in any way –?"

"I didn't harm you!"

"Yes, you did! You slapped me!"

"You deserved it!"

"No, I didn't! Why did I deserve it?"

"Because you are in love with Potter!"

"No, I'm not!" Ginny cried, offended.

But Dean didn't listen to her and instead slapped her across the face again. He hit her so hard she fell on the ground, colliding her head with the stone floor. Before she had time to get her head up, someone had come up behind Dean and roughly pinned him against the wall.

"What the hell did you do that to her for, Thomas?" she heard Malfoy's voice growl.

"Malfoy, let go of me! This is none of your business!"

"Malfoy, what are you doing here?" Ginny asked, trying to lift herself off the ground, but she fell back in pain. She groaned, holding her head to stop herself from feeling dizzy.

"Now look what you've done!" Malfoy snarled at Dean.

He punched Dean in the head, his fist making contact with his nose. Dean groaned in pain and kicked Malfoy in his defence. Malfoy released him, clutching his knee with his left hand and punching Dean back with his right hand which was still curled up in a fist, this time hitting his left eye and mangling his nose even more.

Dean took one more frightened look at Malfoy and ran off down the corridor and out of sight.

"Don't even think of telling anyone about this if you know what's good for you!" Malfoy snarled after him. He then knelt down at Ginny's side. "You alright?" he asked, the concerned look in his eyes once again.

"I'm fine! I could have handled that myself!" Ginny snapped, trying to lift herself up, but fell back down again.

Malfoy snickered at her. "No, you couldn't have. You can barely get up now."

"You still didn't need to come and rescue me though or punch Dean like that! Now he's gonna go and tell McGonagall on you."

"No, he won't," Malfoy insisted, shaking his head. "Now come on, you need to get to the hospital wing, you don't look too good. You won't be able to walk so I'll have to carry you."

Ginny glared at him.

"It's necessary!" he snapped, getting annoyed. "Do you want to suffer permeant brain damage?"

"No," Ginny said shortly.

"Well, you'll have to let me carry you to the hospital wing, no matter how much this will damage my reputation."

Malfoy carefully scoped Ginny up in his arms and she felt a warm sensation going down her spine. His arms felt strong, gentle and for some reason, comforting. She didn't like to think why and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, fearing that he might suddenly drop her.

Malfoy carried her all the way up to the hospital wing, without saying a word to her or even looking at her, but instead looked straight ahead. In no time at all, they were at the doors of the hospital wing, not meeting anyone along the way as they were all in class. Ginny felt very faint, her vision was starting to get a little blurry.

Malfoy pushed the door open with his shoulder and walked in. Madam Pomfrey appeared almost the minute he walked in, wondering why he was disturbing the quiet of the wing and gasped at the sight.

"What happened to her, Mr Malfoy?" she demanded, her voice shaking.

"She was hit roughly to the ground and nearly got knocked out," Malfoy answered without hesitation.

"Bring her over here," Madam Pomfrey said, pointing to a nearby bed.

Malfoy carefully laid her down and Ginny let go of his neck, her head spinning. She suddenly grabbed his hand, holding onto it tightly. Malfoy looked at her in shock and tried to jerk his hand out of her grip, but she wouldn't let go. He gave up and allowed her to hold onto it, massaging her hand gently.

"Oh my, it's bad. I'll go fetch some potion for her head," said Madam Pomfrey, running into her office.

"Malfoy…don't leave me…" Ginny weakly whispered, gripping his hand tighter.

Malfoy winched in pain at her tight grip and again looked at her in shock and knew she didn't know what she was saying as she was about to faint. "I'm not going anywhere, Weasley, just stay awake."

"Stay awake…stay awake," Ginny repeated, feeling dizzy. She felt her eyes roll into the back of her head and she passed out.

Author's note: Aw, don't you just love how Draco is standing up for Ginny? So cute. Anyway hope you liked this! Don't forget to review! I'll update soon.


	4. Forgive Me

**Chapter 4: Forgive me…**

_**Previously:**_

"_**I didn't harm you!"**_

"_**Yes you did! You slapped me!"**_

"_**You deserved it!"**_

"_**No I didn't! Why did I deserve it?"**_

"_**Because you are in love with Potter!"**_

"_**No, I'm not!" cried Ginny offended. **_

_**But Dean didn't listen to her and instead slapped her across the face again. He hit her so hard she fell on the ground, colliding her head with the stone floor. Before she had time to get her head up, someone had come up behind Dean and roughly pinned him against the wall.**_

"_**Malfoy … don't leave me …" Ginny weakly said, gripping his hand tighter. **_

_**Malfoy winched in pain at her tight grip and again looked at her in shock and knew she didn't know what she was saying, she was about to faint. "I'm not going anywhere Weasley, just stay awake."**_

"_**Stay awake … stay awake," Ginny repeated feeling dizzy. She felt her eyes roll into the back of her head and she passed out.**_

Draco sat at Ginny's bedside, still holding onto her hand. He didn't know why he hadn't let go of her yet. She seemed to grip onto his hand as if it would help her not feel alone. Her hand felt soft, warm and gentle, and the touch was sending sensations up his arm and spreading all over his insides, giving him a tingling feeling.

Draco shivered uncomfortably and glanced over at Ginny, still unconscious and looking slightly pale. Her red hair was spread out over the pillow, her left hand dangling over the other side of the bed while her right grasped Draco's hand tightly.

She had been out for over two hours, making Draco miss Ancient Runes and Herbology, but he didn't care for some reason. He couldn't think why he didn't want to leave little Weasel's bedside and go to class. Perhaps he wanted to protect her if Dean came along to finish her off. No, that wouldn't be it … perhaps it was because she had asked him to stay with her …

"_Don't leave me,"_ she had said.

He had to go sometime though. He had to let Higgins know where she was so she can take care of her friend and give him a chance to catch up on the work he missed out on.

But not yet. He wasn't going just yet.

Draco sighed and ran his hand through his blonde hair. Why did he have to come to her rescue? He could have easily let her suffer, like he usually would have. But the sight of her being slapped like that by someone who wouldn't usually strike her made him angry. Plus, he couldn't stand by and let Thomas get away with that, not the second time and he couldn't leave Ginny on the floor like that … she is a beautiful girl after all …

Draco suddenly froze as he realised something.

'_What, does this mean__? Do__I have a crush on Ginny Weasley?' _

'_**Well, t**__**hat would make sense, **__**with **__**me staring at her during breakfast yesterday, me comforting her after Thomas slapped her. M**__**e rescuing her, **__**carrying her to the hospital wing after being hit again, trying to knock out her 'boyfriend', staying here and letting her hold my hand**__**. And me **__**not being able to stop thinking about her …' **_

He shook his head in denial. He couldn't have a crush on little Weasley, the blood-traitor who hanged around Potter and who was a Gryffindor. But yet she was beautiful, her eyes were like dark chocolate, her hair shone as bright as fire, her smile and her laugh made him feel weak at the knees whenever he heard it from afar …

He hit his head with his free hand and looked back at Ginny. No, he wasn't in love with her … his mind was playing tricks on him as usual. The stress of his mission and schoolwork was getting to him and making him think insane things.

He sighed again, slowly getting up from his chair and letting go of Weasley's hand. It flopped at her side, dangling over the bed.

"I'm sorry, but I do have places to go, things to do, and people to see," he whispered to her, even though he knew she couldn't hear him. "I'll be back some other time, but I'm going to get your friend Higgins. She'll keep you company. Get better."

He took one last look at her and strolled out of the hospital wing.

* * *

Draco entered the Great Hall and looked frantically around for Higgins. At last he found her chatting to Creevey with one arm out and waving the other one up and down repeatedly.

'_She's a weird girl, what the hell is she doing? And she doesn't even look that all worried about Weasley__. What a great friend she is!' _He stalked over to her.

"Higgins!"

She turned around and her eyes met Draco's eyes, her face full of deepest loathing. "What do you want, Malfoy?" she sneered angrily, folding her arms.

"I'll tell you outside. I don't want to talk in front of _your lot_," Draco sneered back, folding his arms too.

Higgins frowned at him and looked around at the rest of her house. "Well, you are going to have to say it here 'cause I'm not going anywhere with you. And I would like to finish my dinner, thank you," she answered curtly.

"I'm still not saying anything," he replied, narrowing his eyes.

"Well, you can bugger off then for all I care. Like I said, I want to finish my dinner." She turned back to her meal and continued chatting with Creevey.

Draco groaned in frustration, he wasn't going to give up that easily. He grabbed the back of Higgins'robes and dragged her out of the hall.

"Hey, what are you doing, arsehole?! Let me go, you son-of-a-bitch!" yelled Higgins, as he dragged her into the Entrance Hall and pinned her against a wall. "Who do you think you are?"

"Oh, look whose talking," Draco smirked, holding her with his left hand and his other hand in his pocket, holding his wand just in case. "You're sitting there in the Great Hall with not a care in the world when a fellow is knocked out cold in the hospital wing."

"What are you talking about Malfoy?" Higgins snapped, not even bothering to fight Draco off her.

'_I didn't think she was that stupid__,' _thought Draco. "Your friend, Weasley is who I'm talking about," he said, suddenly calmed. "She's been slapped by that arsehole she calls a boyfriend and she hit her head on the floor."

He leaned in close to her, forcing her to look up at him. "She's been in the hospital wing unconscious for around three hours during which I was keeping her company and what have you been doing? Sitting there in the Great Hall doing stupid arm movements. Some friend you are!"

"It's called air-guitar," Higgins retorted, looking very guilty at the thought of her best friend being unconscious for all this time. "You've been keeping her company? I thought you hated her?"

"I do," snapped Draco. "But I couldn't leave her on the floor like that after she was hit and she gripped my hand very tightly, asking me to stay …"

Higgins looked at him weirdly. "That doesn't sound like Ginny," she muttered, eyes lowered to the ground as she scratched her head thoughtfully. "Is she still unconscious?" she asked, looking back at Draco, her face filled with worry.

Draco nodded and let her go. Higgins didn't hesitate and hurried up the Grand Staircase.

Draco sighed in relief and headed into the Great Hall to have dinner with his own friends, determined to forget about the events of the afternoon … and his changing feelings and thoughts of Ginny Weasley.

* * *

Felicity rushed up the grand staircase to the hospital, her insides filled with extreme worry. What the hell had Dean done to her this time? He was never usually the type to be violent towards anyone, but yet Felicity couldn't help, but think when he would suddenly turn into someone he's not. She would make him pay for what he did to her best friend. That's for sure.

But she felt so stupid that she hadn't come to her senses and realised that Ginny wasn't skipping class for the fun of it because she would never usually do that. Felicity thought it was odd for Ginny not to turn up to Charms or Potions that afternoon and both professors were worried when she didn't come in late. Even at dinner, Felicity didn't think to ask herself where Ginny could have been.

'_Malfoy was right, some friend I am to Ginny__ …' _she thought as she started to climb the staircase that would lead her to the hospital wing.

Come to think of it, what was Malfoy doing keeping Ginny company while she was unconscious? Was he there when she was hit? Did he do something to Dean because now she thought of it Dean had looked like he had been beaten up by someone. Felicity had just assumed it was Ginny getting her revenge, but could it have been Malfoy who hit him?

Why would he care that Ginny was slapped? It wasn't like him to step in and stand up for someone who wasn't in his house, let alone a 'blood-traitor' like Ginny…and yet he stayed with Ginny for at least nearly three hours. Why didn't he come and get her to look after Ginny? This didn't make sense to Felicity at all …

She reached the doors to the hospital wing and walked inside, seeing her friend on the second bed to the left. "Ginny! Oh Merlin, Ginny! What happened to you?" she cried out in shock.

"Miss Higgins! What are you doing here?" asked Madam Pomfrey strolling into the wing.

"I came here to see, Ginny, I only just heard about her," Felicity replied, making her way over to Ginny's bedside.

"Oh, but of course," Madam Pomfrey muttered, turning around and strolling back into her office.

Felicity sank down into the chair beside the bed and looked at Ginny gloomily.

"It's alright, Gin, I'm here now," she whispered, holding onto her friend's hand. "Aunty Flick is here."

* * *

Ginny laid face down on the ground. She slowly got upand realised she was in a long empty hall that seemed to go on forever. She took out her wand, shaking uncontrollably. She then felt someone grab her shoulder and she turned to face Dean looking at her with an evil look in his eyes.

"I used to love you," he hissed, his eyes flashing dangerously. "You said you loved me too, but that was all a big fat lie!"

"No, no, it wasn't!" whimpered Ginny, as he draw out his wand and pointed it at her neck. "Please, Dean, I wouldn't **- **I would never betray you ..."

"Liar," Dean sneered, getting closer to her, poking his wand further into her skin.

She screamed as loud as she possibly could, but no one was going to save her now … no way in hell …

"Ginny!"

She looked up and saw Malfoy hovering above her, on his Nimbus 2001. "Take my hand!" he yelled, holding out his hand.

Ginny reached up and took it and he hoisted her up onto the broom, flying her away from Dean. But he suddenly had his own broom too and was gaining up on them …

Ginny screamed, fear rising up inside of her …

"Ginny! Wake up, you're just dreaming!"

"Huh?" Ginny opened her eyes and saw that she was lying in the hospital wing. She was shaking uncontrollably, her forehead covered in sweat. She looked over to see Felicity looking at her with a frightened look on her face, holding onto Ginny's hand.

"Ginny, what happened to you?" she asked in worry.

Ginny slowly sat up, letting go of Felicity's hand. "Fainted," she replied simply. "How did you know I was here?"

"Malfoy. He dragged me out of dinner, pinned me against a wall, and told me what a bad friend I was for not knowing where you were and just mucking around instead. He said he had been by your bedside, holding your hand because you told him not to leave you …"

Ginny froze then suddenly remembered what happened. She had told Malfoy to stay with her, but where was he now? Probably at dinner.

"Ginny? What happened?" Felicity asked desperately.

Ginny recounted how Dean caught up with her again as she was going to Charms and hitting her again, knocking her to the floor. She then told Felicity about Malfoy coming along and trying to beat the crap out of Dean and taking her to the hospital wing. When she had finished, Felicity looked like she was lost for words.

After a couple of minutes of silence, Felicity cleared her throat and said, "Ginny, do you think Malfoy likes you?"

Ginny looked at her in shock. "No! He wouldn't like me in his entire life!" she cried out. "Why would you even say that?"

"Well, he stood up for you by beating up Dean, carried you up to the hospital wing, and stayed with you for a couple of hours –"

"He stayed because I made him stay."

"Since when does he even listen to what anyone says? He has a crush on you, Ginny, I can tell. He acts differently towards you."

Ginny froze again, considering what Felicity had said. She was right; Malfoy did seem to have a crush on her. He was being too kind and caring towards her. She had felt it when he had comforted her after she was slapped the first time. A week ago, he acted like she was scum and not worth anything and now it was as if he was being her protector.

"Ah good, you're awake," said Madam Pomfrey, strolling over to Ginny and examining her. "Well good news, Miss Weasley, you don't seem to have suffered any major injuries, but there is a big mark on your face where you have been hit. May I ask who hit you?" she asked, concern written all over her face.

"Sorry, I can't," Ginny replied abruptly, folding her arms.

"That's alright, dear. You may go."

Ginny didn't hesitate and got out of the bed and walked out of the hospital wing, Felicity at her heels.

"I'm gonna make Dean pay for what he did to you …" she sneered, unable to control the fury rising up inside her.

"Felicity, don't do anything, please. I can handle it myself," said Ginny.

* * *

A few days later, Ginny walked back from Qudditch practice, her spirits running high. She felt very confident that Gryffindor was going to win the Qudditch Cup this year, she could feel it. And nothing was going to ruin her spirits.

"Hey Ginny."

"Hey bro," she said brightly, as Ron and Harry caught up with her.

"Have you been alright lately? You don't seem to talk to us much anymore." Ron said, glancing at his sister nervously.

"Yeah, I've been fine. Homework is getting to me and just a bit nervous about the O.W.L.s, that's all."

"You and Dean don't seem to talk much lately," Harry spoke up. "Is everything okay with you guys?"

"Yeah, it's all good," Ginny lied. "We just sometimes need time away from each other, that's all. Have you broken up with Lavender yet, Ron?" she asked, glancing over at her brother.

"No," Ron muttered, going red. Lucky for him, they had reached the portrait hole, which opened when Harry told the Fat Lady the password and entered the common room.

Both boys bid Ginny farewell and went over to join Hermione who was hidden behind a wall of books as usual. Ginny found Felicity in front of the fire writing on a long piece of parchment, mumbling to herself.

"Hey Flick," said Ginny, sitting down next to her.

"Hey Gin," she replied, as she finished her conclusion and placed her quill on the table. "How was practice?"

"Great! I think we might win this year," said Ginny, leaning back in her chair.

Felicity nodded and gazed across the room at Harry who was talking to Ron and Hermione. He noticed her looking at him and waved at her. She slowly raised her hand and waved back, looking away. She then grabbed Ginny's arm.

"Dean," she muttered, a look of loathing in her eyes. Ginny looked up and sure enough, Dean was walking over to her.

"Hey, Ginny," he smiled. "Flee," he nodded at Felicity

Felicity growled at him angrily. "I keep telling you to stop calling me Flee!" she shouted.

"Whatever. I need to talk to Ginny alone," he replied, begging Ginny with his eyes.

Ginny sighed. "Felicity, can you leave us for a moment please?"

Felicity rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I have better music to listen to than hear you sweet talk her, Dean." She gathered up her work and headed to the girls' dormitories. Ginny turned to Dean.

"Well? Come to apologise have you?" she asked, folding her arms.

"Yes I have," Dean answered, looking at her. "I was being a prick, I admit that. I should have listened to you and what you were saying instead of the voices in my head. I know you would never cheat on me. I was stupid to think you fancied Harry, and I'm really sorry about hitting you twice and knocking you out."

He leaned in closer to her, his hand touching her cheek. "Can you forgive me?" he whispered, looking desperate.

Ginny looked into his eyes and saw something that told her why she was in love with him in the first place. "Of course I'll forgive you, since you admitted you were being a big prick. I love you." She leaned in closer and kissed him.

"Oi, you two! Get a room!" yelled Ron from across the room.

"Oh, Ron, _grow up_! Like you and Lavender snog in private!" Ginny shouted back at her brother. Dean laughed at her and gave her a hug.

"I know why I asked you out in the first place," he laughed softly in her ear.

Ginny grinned, hugging him back, forgetting the dream she had and all the bad things he did to her. A sad thought occurred to her and she couldn't help but wonder why she was slightly depressed about her and Dean reuniting.

Suddenly, a vision of Draco Malfoy entered her head. His white blonde hair shining brightly in the light, his pale face glowing as his smile fading to a disappointed sad look. She shook her head slightly, but Dean didn't feel it.

'_Why am I thinking about him? I never liked him and he never liked me__ … so why am I unhappy about this? Why am I suddenly missing Malfoy and feeling guilty about reconciling with Dean?' _she thought, feeling a shiver go down her back.

Felicity watched the scene from the stairs, a look torn between happiness for her friend anddisappointment, figuring that Ginny would probably forget all about her. She noticed the depressed look on her friend's face mixed with worry and sadness.

Felicity frowned at her and shook her head figuring she must have imagined it. Why would Ginny suddenly feel depressed about her and Dean making up?

She sighed and walked up the stairs to the fifth year girls' dormitory.


	5. Longing for Something You Don't Have

**Chapter 5: Longing for Something You Don't Have**

The next two weeks for Ginny were bliss. She and Dean were no longer fighting, but instead spending their break time together, seating next to each other at breakfast and dinner and spending the last half an hour together before one of them went to bed. They had both agreed that they shouldn't neglect their friends and spend time with them as much as possible.

But that didn't last long.

Felicity was still being called "Flee" by Dean, but these days she held her tongue. She only ever got to talk to Ginny by herself at bedtime, a little bit at lunchtime and between classes when Dean didn't come up behind Ginny and start his sweet talking. She never complained about Dean in front of Ginny for fear of having her head bit off and instead hanged around Luna and talked to Hermione whenever she could.

"It's like he thinks I'm a bad influence on her, honestly," Felicity had complained to Hermione one day while they were in the library. "He frowns at me every time I suggest to Ginny we go for a walk and have girl time as if he thinks I'm going to convince her to break up with him."

Hermione nodded. "So she's forgiven him for being a little violent towards her?" she asked, as she took a book down from a shelf above her.

"_A little violent_?" Felicity exclaimed, a little too loudly and receiving a glare from Madam Prince who was walking past their aisle.

Felicity made a rude gesture when the librarian wasn't looking and turned back to Hermione. "I think he was being a bully to the _extreme_ in my opinion," she continued, lowering her voice slightly. "I mean he shoved her to the ground and she ended up in the hospital wing, but yet she forgave him! I can't _believe_ her!"

"I can't believe she forgave him either," answered Hermione, turning to the index of her book and running her finger down the page. "I mean if I had a boyfriend and he slapped me like that, I would have told him it was over." She sighed and closed her book, placing it back on the book shelf. "But it's Ginny, what do you expect?"

"I know," Felicity sighed. "I just thought she wouldn't fall for his 'sweet' apology."

"You didn't see Ron after he saw them kissing when they made up," said Hermione, picking up another book. "He looked mad as hell, but Harry told him to leave them alone. Ron was so furious … but he doesn't know what really happened. He's always assumed they argued about parentage or something stupid." She began turning the pages muttering under her breath as she did so.

"Say, what are you looking up?" asked Felicity, trying to take a peek at the title.

"Oh, I'm just preparing for exams," said Hermione in matter-of-factly way, but Felicity knew she was lying and she dropped the subject.

"I'll leave you to it then. I'm going to go and eat lunch," said Felicity, walking away from Hermione.

She nodded, lost in the book.

Felicity made her way down to the hall and sat at the Gryffindor table, helping herself to some noodles.

"Hello Felicity," said Luna, sitting down next to her friend.

"Hey Luna," answered Felicity, not caring that Luna wasn't sitting at her own house table. "How have you been these days?"

"Oh alright. School work is getting to me now but I'm handling it ok, 'The Quibber' is still going strong and I'm rather looking forward to the last match of the Qudditch season, Gryffindor against Ravenclaw, should be a cracker."

"Yeah, that's the last game of the season isn't it?" asked Felicity. "Ginny's very confident about it, apparently."

"Say where is Ginny?" asked Luna, looking around for the red-headed girl. "Is she with Dean again?"

"Yes," Felicity growled through gritted teeth, her hands curling into fists.

"Oh come on, I'm sure it's not that bad," Luna said, noticing Felicity's sudden anger.

"Oh, but it is!" Felicity replied, rolling her eyes. "It's good that they're not fighting, but really, they are acting like Ron and Lavender … well not as bad as them," she added, eyeing Ron sitting next to Lavender, looking tense as she was running her hand against his thigh. "But at the way they're going, they'll turn into them," she finished with a disgusted look on her face.

"You still can't complain about him in front of her, right?" asked Luna. Felicity nodded. "You know who else is not happy about their reunion besides yourself?"

"Who?" Felicity asked, interested.

"Malfoy," whispered Luna, jerking her head in the direction of the Slytherin table.

Felicity looked over at the green and silver table and noticed that Malfoy was looking depressed. He sat staring at his plate, twirling the noodles on his plate with his fork while his friends sat around him chatting away, not noticing the depressed Slytherin prince. He looked paler than usual and a bit thinner.

Felicity's eyes widened in shock, but she shook her head. "He can't be depressed because Ginny and Dean are back together again," she said quietly. "What's made you think he's depressed about it?"

"I've been observing him over breakfast and dinner," Luna replied, her face turning to sorrow. "He's pining for her; he keeps looking at her with such longing in his eyes. He doesn't eat much these days and I bet you he doesn't go outside. Didn't you tell me he was there when Ginny was slapped the second time?"

Felicity didn't answer, but Luna got the general gist. "See?" she whispered. "He's in love with her, he really cares about her."

Felicity had to agree with Luna, but she couldn't help thinking that something else was bothering the Slytherin prince. He couldn't be that upset about Ginny and Dean …

* * *

Draco sat glumly at the Slytherin table, staring at his plate of chicken noodles, twirling his fork around in it, but not eating. He was aware that Loony Lovegood was watching him yet again, but he didn't care. He hadn't felt this depressed ever in his life.

Two weeks had gone since the little Weasel had gotten back with Mudblood Thomas and Draco suddenly found himself wishing he could drown himself in the shower.

He wasn't really sure why he was feeling this way at first, but it had become clear the night before as he lied on his bed staring at the dark green canopy above him, imaging the smiling red-haired, hearing her voice in his head and remembering the warm touch of her hand …

Draco realised he was in love. He was in love with Ginny Weasley and it scared him for awhile, then seemed natural, but now it was depressing. Watching her with that scumbag who had beaten her up not that long ago really hit him in the gut. She shouldn't be with him, she should be with Draco.

He had stood up for her when she couldn't defend herself. He had comforted her the first time she was hit. He had stayed with her in the hospital for the first two hours when she was hit the second time. He punched her boyfriend and risked getting into trouble, let alone his reputation.

He hadn't told anyone of his secret desire, scared of their reaction. Well, if he told someone in his house, his father would know about it within two hours and disown him for falling for the youngest of the blood-traitor family. He hated that term now when it came to Ginny. Heck he hated calling her by her last name. Her first name sounded beautiful, like her.

He wished she was in his arms …

"Draco? Are you alright mate?" Blaise was watching him with a worried look on his face.

"Feel ill," he muttered, shaking his head out of his thoughts and blocking his mind, in case Blaise decided he could read minds and saw _exactly _what he was thinking about.

"Hey Drakie!"

Pansy flounced over to him and sat down next to him, but Draco pushed her away, annoyed. Pansy stared at him, very offended. "What is up with you lately?" she snapped.

"I was just asking him that," said Blaise, frowning at Pansy.

"Pansy, it's none of your business why I'm depressed," Draco answered bluntly, holding his head. "And please don't call me 'Drakie'."

"But it sounds cute!" Pansy purred. "Like you."

"I've told you before and I'll tell you again, I don't like you in the way you like me. I know it's hard for you to understand and realise, but really, Pansy, you should have backed off by now."

"But didn't you eat those cupcakes I made …" said Pansy, looking anxious.

"Pansy, how thick do you think I am? I knew you had injected them with love potion! I'm not stupid you know!" Draco shouted, losing his patience. "Besides Crabbe ate them all."

"What? Do you mean that Crabbe was after me because he ate the cupcakes -" stuttered Pansy, as though she was just realising this.

"Of course he ate them, Pansy! How thick are _you_?" Draco put his fork down. "Now if you excuse me, I need some time to myself to think. I hope this is the final time I have to tell you to back off, so back off, I'm not interested."

He got up from his seat and left the table, nearly running into Ginny who was walking into the hall with Thomas.

"Oh, uh …" Draco stuttered nervously, staring at Ginny.

She looked pretty today, with her hair pulled back in a pony-tail, her brown eyes glittering curiously at him. Draco felt uncomfortable and run out into the Entrance Hall and out into the grounds. He needed fresh air to calm his nerves down and let it all out.

* * *

Ginny was stunned that Malfoy looked surprised to see her and was even nervous talking to her. Something was wrong. She had to go ask him. She looked at Dean who had been talking to Seamus the minute they had entered the Great Hall and had missed seeing Malfoy.

"Dean, can you excuse me for a minute? I'll be right back," she said.

Dean nodded and she gave him a peck on the cheek and ran out into the grounds in pursuit of Malfoy. She found him, sitting at the edge of the lake, his face in his hands. She walked over to him, feeling concerned about him all of a sudden.

"Malfoy?"

Malfoy looked up and she saw that he was crying. Not loudly of course, but just silent tears falling down his face, sparkling in the sun. He looked depressed and thin as if he had lost a lot of weight in a short time, his face paler than usual. Ginny almost gasped at the sight of him.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, sitting down next to him.

He looked away from her and instead stared at the lake, not answering immediately. Finally he muttered, "You back with Thomas, that's what's wrong."

"So?" asked Ginny.

"So, he hit you twice. I thought you would have been smart enough to dump him, he's violent towards you. Besides, I don't think he wanted to get back with you because he was sorry for hitting you."

"What then? Why do you think he wanted to get back with me then huh?" she asked, about to raise her voice, but thought the better of it.

"He's using you, Ginny," he replied, looking at her and noticed the shock look on her face for his use of her first name. "He has needs that wants to be filled and the only way he's going to fill those needs is getting you back with him, making you think he's changed and that's he's sorry for hitting you and treating you badly."

Ginny gazed at him, shocked at what he just said, but suspiciously frowned at him. "Why are you saying this, Malfoy?" she asked, confused.

Malfoy again said nothing for awhile before answering. He looked like he was having a debate with himself, wondering whether he should answer her question. He sighed and took a deep breath. "I'm saying this because … well … I care about you, believe it or not."

Ginny's frown turned into a look of disbelief and she turned away, suddenly interested in the ground. Malfoy reached out for her hand and grasped it in his, feeling her soft skin. She looked at him in shock, but not daring to move away. He was gazing at her in the same way he was looking at her at breakfast over three weeks ago. He then started to lean in towards her …

Ginny suddenly jumped up and ran off back to the castle, her emotions running high, leaving Malfoy at the lake edge.

* * *

He shouldn't have done that, he scared her out of her mind … what was he _thinking_?

'_Nothing,' _answered a voice in his head.

Draco groaned in frustration. He wasn't ever going to be with Ginny Weasley. He lied down on the grass, thoughts running through his head.

Thomas was using her, he knew it, and he could easily see it in his eyes. Draco knew the signs and could tell when a guy was going out with a girl just so he could get laid. He had nearly done it himself once, but the girl dumped him because she found out what he was up to.

But he would never do that to Ginny. He loved her, cared about her safety … he would never take advantage of her.

Why couldn't she see that Dean was using her? He had physically abused her and accused her of cheating on him. But then suddenly he's sorry about it and wants her back? It didn't make sense to Draco in his opinion …

He sighed and closed his eyes, trying to sleep in the outside air … take him away from it all.

* * *

"Dean, are you using me?" Ginny asked her boyfriend halfway through dinner four hours later.

Dean looked at her in surprise. "No! Why would you think that? Did Ron –"

"No, not Ron, but some people have been talking," Ginny lied, not feeling like bringing Malfoy into the conversation.

"Well, to answer their questions, I'm not using you. I love you," he said simply. He went back to eating his meal.

Ginny sighed in relief, knowing Dean was telling her the truth. She took a quick look at the Slytherin table where Malfoy sat glumly, staring into space. She felt a stab of pity for him, but quickly brushed it off. She noticed Felicity frowning at her out of the corner of her eye and turned round to face her.

"Something wrong?" asked Ginny, sounding annoyed.

"Nothing," Felicity replied, returning to her meal.

"Hey, guess what's on tomorrow?" Seamus asked Dean.

"What?" asked Dean, curious.

"It's our Apparition test! You nervous?" he asked his best mate, looking a little fearful.

"Yeah, I am kinda," said Dean, looking worried himself.

"Oh please don't remind me," Ron muttered gloomily. "I still haven't Apparited in the practice sessions!"

"Do you get to go, Harry?" Felicity asked Harry. He looked up and shook his head.

"Nah, I'm not old enough," he answered, looking slightly crestfallen.

Ginny then realised that Malfoy wasn't old enough to take the test either and she again looked over at the Slytherin table, seeing him getting up to leave. She suddenly needed to talk to him for some odd reason, right now. Mainly to apologise for what happened earlier. She was sorry she had run off.

"I'll be back," said Ginny, but everyone was too busy talking about the Apparition test to notice she was going out into the Entrance Hall to wait for Malfoy.

She hid behind a gargoyle and then saw Malfoy coming out of the hall. He was near where she was so she grabbed him by the back of the robes and pulled him behind the gargoyle with her.

"What the h -" he scowled, before he noticed that it was Ginny who grabbed him. He turned away and tried to get away from her grip, but she didn't let go. He glared at her in a mixture of anger and confusion.

"What do you want from me, Weasley?" he asked, slightly fearful. "You're not going to put the Bat Bogy Hex on me again are you?"

Ginny laugh softly. "You remember that?" she whispered, eyes blazing.

Malfoy looked very uncomfortable. "How couldn't I forget it? It was humiliating having a girl throw such a brilliant hex on me and it was you, of all people."

Ginny smiled slightly, Malfoy had just complemented her, possibly without knowing it. "Well I'm not going to use that hex on you again. I just wanted to say I was sorry."

"What for?" asked Malfoy, confused.

"For me running off like that," she said. "Tell me, Malfoy, why did you call me by my first name?"

"It sounds nice," answered Malfoy, shrugging. Ginny knew he was lying and it was clearly shown in his face.

Malfoy groaned a little, knowing she caught him. "Alright, that's not the only reason –" he started to say, but Ginny placed a finger on his lips.

"I don't care why you started to use my first name, but it's nice that you like it," she whispered. "Your name sounds nice too; Draco, means 'dragon', but you probably already know that. I don't suppose it has anything to do with you admitting you care about me or the possibility that you're in love with me, by any chance?"

Draco froze, wondering what to say. He didn't have a chance to say anything though, as Ginny had started to lean towards him, closing her eyes, inches away from his lips …

"Ginny? Are you out here?"

Ginny froze and opened her eyes, noticing how close she and Draco were all of a sudden. She didn't mind in some ways, but it was wrong. She was with Dean … and he was looking for her.

She sighed and backed away from Draco, mouthing, "I'm sorry", and stepped out from behind the gargoyle.

"Here I am!" she shouted, making Dean jumped and turn around.

"Ginny!" he cried out rushing over to Ginny and hugging her. "You scared me!"

"That was the idea," Ginny lied. "I decided to wait out here for someone from our table and scare the living daylights out of them. I was hoping to scare you."

Dean laughed. "You do know you haven't finished your dinner yet?" he said, steering her back into the hall.

Ginny allowed herself to be lead back inside, but looked behind the gargoyle where Draco hid; gazing into his eyes and allowing him to see the longing in her gaze. She then turned away and walked into the Great Hall without a backwards glance.


	6. A Change in the Air

**Chapter Six: A Change in the Air**

Draco stared at Ginny as she was escorted back into dinner with Dean; feeling like someone had stabbed his heart. And that person was Dean Thomas. Ginny was so close to him just now, he could practically feel her warm breath on his face as he slowly leaned into her, helping to close the gap and feel the soft lips he had been wanting to kiss for ages.

But then Thomas just had to come along and ruin it all, come into the Entrance Hall looking for his 'girlfriend' who happened to be hiding with an enemy of his.

When Thomas had called for Ginny, Draco feared that maybe she didn't mean to suddenly lean in so close to him and attempt to kiss, would probably think it was a spur of the moment. But then just as she was leaving the Entrance Hall, she looked back at him and he noticed she had a look of longing in her eyes. It was as if she would rather be with him than with Dean, somehow.

He sighed and leaned against the gargoyle closing his eyes, losing himself in a daydream about the red-haired Gryffindor when suddenly a high pitched voice he dreaded so much interrupted his thoughts.

"Drakie-poo! Are you out here?"

Draco silently groaned. As much as he would like to yell out to Pansy that he again despised the nickname she made up for him, he couldn't utter a single word or make a single movement as she would soon discover his hiding place. He so did not want to talk to her right now … or any time for that matter.

"I know you're out here, don't play hide-and-seek with me! I'm going to find you somehow!"

"Are you playing hide-and-seek, Pansy?"

Draco sighed silently in relief, thankful that Blaise had once again come along to sort her out for him. He made a mental note to thank Blaise later, once Pansy got to her senses and went back to the common room.

"No, of course not! That's a Muggle game, you fool! Only Granger the 'mudblood' would play those sort of games!"

"Well, then why are you out here?"

"I'm looking for Draco. I really need to talk to him about something really important. I saw him leave a few minutes ago …"

"What would make you think that he would be out here five minutes after leaving? If you were looking for him, I would suggest the library."

"Ok, thanks, Blaise." She smiled and started to walk up the staircase when Blaise called her back.

"What did you want to talk to him about?"

"None of your bloody business, Zabini," she snapped.

"Actually, it is," Blaise tactfully replied. "Are you trying to get him to go out with you and in the end you seduce him? It's not going to work, Pansy, trust me."

"Why not?" she snarled, her eyes blazing in anger.

"Because he made it clear to you at lunch that he is not interested in you and would never be friends with you anyway. He would never sink as low as you. So I suggest you back off."

"Listen, I'm not giving up on Draco. I love him. There is no better girl than me in the world he would rather be with 'cause I'm the real deal. Besides his family loves me and I'm the only one who's good enough for him. And maybe one day, we will be married as my family is in negotiations with his family of having an arranged marriage."

Draco silently gagged at these words. _'__I refuse to marry that __pug-faced __bitch, Mother can't make me. I would rather die a thousand deaths than marry Pansy.'_

"Try all you want, Pansy. He's never going to be interested in you."

Pansy huffed in defeat and turned on her heel, walking up the stairs. "It's not over yet!" she called over her shoulder before reaching the top of the stairs and disappearing round the corner.

Blaise sighed, looking exhausted from dealing with Pansy. Checking that she was gone, he walked over to the gargoyle where Draco was hiding.

"I had a feeling you were still out here," he said, an amused look in his eyes.

"Yeah, I didn't want to come out while she was there," Draco answered, finally stepping from behind the gargoyle. He noticed how small the gap was between the gargoyle and the wall and he felt a shiver go down his spine. He and Ginny were very close to each other behind that gargoyle … he could have easily leaned in further and have a sense of what her lips tasted like.

"What were you doing behind that gargoyle anyway?" Blaise asked, bringing Draco out of his thoughts.

"I was hiding from Pansy," he lied, but telling half the truth. He wasn't really in the mood to elaborate and Blaise wouldn't be very pleased with the reason anyway. Blaise, though, wasn't convinced.

"That's not the only reason you were behind the gargoyle," he said, looking suspiciously at Draco.

"And how would you know?"

"Because no one is ever that quick to get away from Pansy when she walks into a room. And besides, I know you too well. You wouldn't be just hiding from Pansy; you're hiding from someone else or hiding with someone."

Draco really didn't like the knowing look in Blaise's eyes and knew immediately that Blaise was never going to drop the topic. He dug his fingers through his hair, eyes staring at the floor so as to avoid the dark haired boy's stare. But Blaise was finished with his suspicions yet.

"Why are you upset these days anyway, Draco? You've been really down for at least two or three weeks and you look like you've lost a lot of weight or something. I've noticed that you haven't been sleeping well and your attention spam in class is the worst I've seen this year. You have to tell me, Draco, I'm worried. And I want to help you, whatever it is. We're friends, aren't we?"

Draco sighed and raised his head to meet the dark haired boy's eyes. Maybe it would be best if he said exactly what was going on. They were supposed to be good friends after all. Blaise of all people would understand – or would learn to understand once Draco told him the whole story.

"Ok, I'll tell you," he finally replied, after a minute's hesitation. "But I'm really not in the mood to go into details, let alone tell you everything right now. I'm still trying to make sense of it all and what position I'm currently in. Can we talk about this tomorrow night in the dorms?"

"Sure, but why not tonight?" Blaise asked, frowning in confusion.

"I have a lot of homework to do," Draco replied, a significant excuse to delay the confession. "By the way, thanks for telling Pansy to go to the library, now I won't be able to go in there at all. I needed to do some Transfiguration work!"

"Sorry mate, it was the first place besides the Slytherin common room I could think of," Blaise said, an apologetic look in his eyes. "Seriously, it was the first thing that popped into my head."

"Never mind about that, at least she won't jump on me when we go back to the common room. Let's go back before she realises that I'm not in the library."

Blaise smirked at what Pansy's reaction would be when she found out he had lied to her about Draco's whereabouts and followed the blonde head down the dungeon steps towards the Slytherin common room.

* * *

"So how was the Apparition test?" Felicity asked Ron as they ate dinner with Hermione the next day. Ron shook his head mournfully.

"I just failed," he replied miserably, picking at his food. He hadn't taken a bite since he sat down, which Felicity found quite odd. "Left half an eyebrow behind!"

"That was very harsh," said Hermione, shaking her head in disappointment for Ron. She had passed the test easily, as Felicity had expected.

"Oh well, there's always next time," Felicity assured him, sending him a kind smile. "Like what my mum always says, "A failure is a step towards achieving utter greatness" - or something like that, I can never remember the quote." She dug into her dinner while resting her chin on her hands. "Although, she does come out with odd sayings sometimes that relate to work so I never remember them correctly."

Hermione laughed. "That would be right."

Ron didn't reply, but instead flitched nervously as Lavender walked past him, casually skimming her fingernails along the back of his neck. He glared at her back and turned back to his meal, sighing heavily.

"Still haven't broken up with her?" Flick asked, raising her eyebrows at Lavender's display of 'affection'.

Ron shook his head. Hermione giggled in a very un-Hermioneish way and turned away, eating her meal as she tried to hide the grin on her face. Ron glared at her, but Felicity detected a blush creeping up his neck. She smirked, wondering exactly what he was thinking.

Ron sighed again and pushed his plate away. "I think I've just lost my appetite," he murmured.

"I thought you already did," Felicity replied. "From failing the Apparition test."

Ron groaned. "You just had to bring it up again, did you?"

Felicity only smirked in response as Ginny finally appeared, having being released from Dean's sight momentarily.

"Dean passed his test," she said, as she sat down opposite Felicity and started serving herself some dinner.

"I'm sure he did, wishing he could appear to you," mumbled Ron under his breath. Felicity giggled, having been the only person to hear him.

"Good one," she replied, grinning at him. She then turned to Ginny. "How nice of you to join us, _finally_," she said sarcastically.

Ginny chose to ignore the sarcasm. "Dean already ate," she replied. "He's in the library doing his homework. I said I'd meet him there and walk back to Gryffindor tower."

"Wonderful, hope you two have a nice walk," Felicity mumbled bitterly. "Oh hello, Harry!" she exclaimed brightly as Harry walked into the hall and ran over to his friends.

"Hey, Flick," he replied, smiling at her. He then turned to Ron and Hermione. "I need help about you-know-what," he whispered hurriedly.

They nodded in unison, got up and followed Harry out of the hall without another word, glancing up at the teacher's table as they left.

Ginny watched them go and turned to see Felicity have a dreaming look on her face. "Ginny, I think I'm in love," she said absent-mildly.

Ginny raised her eyebrows as if to say, _"__Yes, and __with who?"_

"Who are you in love with?" Luna asked, settling herself next to Ginny and looking at Felicity perplexingly.

"Harry, I'm in love with Harry Potter," she answered, staring into space.

"I thought you hated him because you couldn't be seeker for the Qudditch team while he's there," Luna said thoughtfully.

"You misunderstood," Felicity said, shaking her head. "I don't hate him for it, I'm just jealous … but have you noticed his hair is so wild it makes me crazy … those eyes are just like summer leaves …"

"Ok, this one's head over heels," Ginny interrupted, bursting into a great fit of laughter. Felicity didn't seem to notice as she was lost in her own little world.

"You know who's been in love with you Ginny?" Luna spoke up.

"Dean," she answered, still laughing.

Luna shook her head. "No, I mean Malfoy. Draco Malfoy is in love with you."

Ginny stopped laughing and looked at Luna in disbelief. "I don't believe you," she said, her face starting to fill with anger. She stopped as realised what he meant when he said he cared about her. And the reason she leaned towards him. Maybe he _was _in love with her … but how?

Luna opened her mouth to argue her case, but someone cut across her.

"You finished, Ginny?"

"Oh Dean!" Ginny exclaimed, jumping up in surprise. "You scared me! I thought I was going to meet you in the library after you finished."

"Nah, I thought I would escort you to the tower. So, are you done?"

"I guess so," Ginny replied, putting down her knife and fork. "Felicity, Luna, we shall continue this conversation later." She took Dean's arm and he led her out of the hall.

Luna stared after them, a thoughtful gaze in her eyes. "I feel a change in the air," she said mysteriously. Felicity snapped out of her daze and looked at Luna in confusion.

"How do you know?" she asked, puzzled at what Luna meant.

"I feel a change in the air," she repeated. "You'll know why soon … _very_ soon in fact."

Felicity was even more confused.

* * *

They walked back up to Gryffindor tower, not saying a word to each other the entire time which Ginny found odd. Dean looked rather nervous about something, with way he was fiddling with his hands and eyes flickering around frantically. It started to really bug Ginny once she noticed he was indeed nervous and after awhile, she decided to ask him what was up with him.

"What is with you this evening?" she asked, folding her arms. "You seem like you want to ask me something, but you're extremely nervous. What's going on?"

Dean swallowed hard and stopped walking, avoiding Ginny's eyes. "Um, I don't know how to ask this, but um …"

Ginny waited, tapping her foot on the ground impatiently with her arms firmly folded.

"Iwanttosleepwithyou," he replied in a rush.

Assuming she heard him, he kept walking. Ginny, though, didn't understand what he said as he had rushed his words together. She stood there for a few seconds, trying to work out what he said then caught up with him.

"What did you say?"

He turned round to look at her, a confessed expression on his face. "Didn't you hear what I said?"

She shook her head.

He sighed heavily and looked away before taking a deep breath to voice his question again. "I want to sleep with you," he repeated.

He then resumed walking, still not meeting his girlfriend's eyes. Ginny kept walking too, but was again pondering what he said and exactly what he meant. It was taking her awhile to figure it out. She then realised what he said with a sickening thought.

"_WHAT!?_ You mean you want to have _sex_ with me?" she yelled in shock, as they climbed the staircase to the seventh floor. She shook her head furiously. "No way, no way. I'm not ready. I'm only just turned sixteen, and I thought you wanted to wait."

"I was going to, but –"

"_BUT!_ But what?"

"But I feel I'm ready for it, Ginny, how about it?"

"I'm sorry, but no, I'm not ready."

"Sure you are. Come on Ginny, I want to do it and I know you want to as well."

"My answer is no, Dean," she growled, glaring at him angrily. What kind of boyfriend was he? How dare he have the nerve to even ask her that!

"Fine then," Dean mumbled, an angry look in his eyes. "Forget I mention it."

Ginny fell silent. She knew that probably wasn't the end of it though and that he would bug her about it later. She sighed heavily; this wasn't going to work out well.

They soon reached the portrait of the Fat Lady. Dean mumbled the password and allowed Ginny to climb in first while he followed right behind her. After what he said though, Ginny was no longer thrilled at the close contact. She felt sick at the pit of her stomach at the thought of him touching her.

She was then interrupted from her thoughts as she felt someone brush against her shoulder. She growled angrily and turned to Dean, knowing full well it was him. Another excuse to touch her and probably seduce her.

"_Do__n't_ push me, please, Dean," she snapped in annoyance. "You're always doing that; I can get through perfectly on my own without you pushing me!"

"I didn't push you!" said Dean angrily, yelling sounding from the common room

"Oh yes you did!" she argued, pointing her finger at him "Don't lie to me, Dean! It's another excuse to touch me, isn't it?"

He didn't say anything, but pushed past, evidently annoyed with her. She shook her head and stepped out to the common. She immediately covered her ears, wondering who was disturbing the quiet. She found the answer almost standing directly in front of her.

Lavender Brown was shouting at Ron who was stood frozen on the spot with Hermione at the bottom of the boys' staircase. Everyone's attention was on them; apparently the argument was worth listening to.

"I can't believe it! All this time you and her have been going behind my back, doing things I can't image what! Tell me, Ron, what has she got that I don't?"

Ron didn't answer, but instead stared at the floor. Hermione looked as though she was fighting back not to laugh. Felicity was watching on from the corner of the room with an amused expression on her face, also fighting back the need to laugh.

Lavender's eyes filled with tears. "I loved you, Ronald Weasley. I loved you and did that mean anything to you? No, it obviously didn't! And now look at what you're losing … for good." With that, she stormed off to the girls' dormitories as she burst into tears, her friend Parvati hurrying after her.

Ginny then turned to Dean, frowning darkly at him. She knew then what she must do. It was for the best, before she would allow herself to get into a situation she didn't want to be in.

"I'm sorry, but I can't be with you anymore," she simply said. Surely he would understand why. She walked away from him, head held high.

"Wait, Ginny!" Dean pulled her back and she turned round to face him. "Why us? Why do you have to end it?"

"You want to have my virginity, that's what you want," Ginny hissed, leaning in close so that no one, but he could hear. But not too close that he would take advantage of her. "That's why you made up with me and stalk me in the corridors. Don't think I'm that stupid, Dean, cause I'm not."

She paused, her expression hardening. "Go and comfort Lavender if you want," she sneered. "See if she'll sleep with you. Oh and I almost forgot …"

She slapped him across the face with all the strength she had. The students gasped in surprise as the sound of the slap echoed around the common room. Dean winched and rubbed his sore cheek, tears starting to form in his eyes.

Ginny didn't take this as a laughing matter at the moment. She would laugh about his weakness later. "That was my revenge for you hitting me," she hissed, giving him the one finger salute.

She then turned around and marched up the girls' staircase to her dormitory and slammed the door. She could hear Lavender crying in the room above, her cries full of pain and heartbreak.

Ginny threw herself on the bed and started to cry as the tears fell rapidly, burying her face in her pillow. She heard Felicity come in sometime later and she accepted her best friend's embrace as Felicity comforted her, rocking her back and fourth for awhile. She then suggested Ginny should go to bed early, since it had been a hard night. Not before praising her for hitting Dean so hard and almost making him cry.

Ginny lied awake sometime later in the dark while listening to the other girls snore lightly, thoughts running through her head. She was thinking how stupid she was to take Dean back when all he wanted was to take her virginity.

'_What a prick he was!' _she thought, screwing her face up in disgust.

Draco was right, Dean was using her to fill his needs and his needs clearly were sex. _Sick bastard_ …

She cried softly, thinking how stupid she was and feeling how empty her heart was now.


	7. Confessions Part One

**Chapter Seven: Confessions (Part One)**

"So, did you pass your Apparition test, Blaise?" Draco asked, as he lay down onhis bed in the sixth year boys' dormitory.

"Aced it, mate. It was a piece of cake," Blaise replied confidently, a smug smirk on his face. "I knew I would pass. Never left a piece of my body behind, unlike Weasley. He lost half an eyebrow!"

Draco laughed out loud, wondering how on earth the red head could have done that. "Was he the only one who failed?"

"Nah, there were other people, but I wasn't really paying much attention." Blaise collapsed on his own bed, sighing deeply. "So, what has made you so depressed lately?" he asked, turning to Draco.

Draco sighed heavily. He had been dreading this all day and had been preparing himself on what to say to Blaise. It had been rather difficult to form the words in his head, let alone how he was going to say them out loud.

'_I mean, how can I explain to Blaise that I like – or rather - love Ginny Weasley, someone who my family hates and is a blood traitor. He is so going to kill me, but I hope he understands.' _

Even though Blaise was a bed away, he muttered a silencing spell so Goyle, Crabbe and Nott couldn't hear them. He couldn't risk those three overhearing his confession. If they did, he would be worse off because they would immediately report to their fathers and it would get back to his father. At least with Blaise, he wouldn't go and tell his mother what his best friend told him.

"Ok, Blaise, whatever I have to say does not leave this silence circle," Draco whispered. "If you tell a soul about what I say, even Pansy, I swear you'll get it. Big time. Don't think I didn't warn you."

"Of course," Blaise answered, nodding his head. "I don't know why you have to ask me not to. As if I would go and blab your secret life to the school. I have better things to talk about then _you_. You already get enough attention as it is."

Draco half-smiled, he knew he could trust Blaise. After all, they had been friends since second year and he was the only Slytherin worth having a meaningful conversation about anything. Blaise could easily keep secrets, but would he keep this one?

"Thanks Blaise."

"That's alright. Ok, so what's up?"

Draco paused and took a deep breath. It was best to get it out into the open air rather than have it all bottled up inside. "I'm in love with Ginny Weasley," he said, his eyes staring blankly at Blaise's eyes, searching for some understanding.

Blaise looked at him for awhile as if his best friend had gone crazy, looking for a sign that he was joking. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. His best friend had to be going crazy. "You're joking, right?"

Draco shook his head, his eyes now staring at the floor.

Blaise sighed and rested his head in his hand. "How?" he asked quietly, wanting to figure out how his best friend suddenly fell in love with a so-called blood traitor.

"I don't know," Draco answered in a voice barely than a whisper. "I guess it all just started when I looked at her across the hall at breakfast nearly a month ago. I mean, I sometimes take a glance at the Gryffindor table, but I don't know … there was something inside of me that lit up when I glanced at her that day, something that I had never felt before."

He sighed and dug his fingers through his hair. "Of course, I didn't realise what it was that day. But then that night, I was walking back from the library and I heard her and Thomas arguing and then he hit her –"

"Sorry, did you just say Thomas hit Weasley?" Blaise interrupted, his eyes wide in shock. "Are you sure you're talking about the Dean Thomas of Gryffindor? Since when does he hit people and why did he hit her?"

"I would appreciate if you called her by her first name, please.Yes, he did hit her and pretty hard, it echoed down the hallway –"

"Holy shit," swore Blaise, shaking his head. "She must have done something bad to make him so mad."

"She didn't do anything though!" Draco cried out, trying to control the anger he had developed towards Thomas for awhile. "So, after he hit her, he left the room and I decided to go and comfort her."

"Whoa, this does not sound like you at all, Draco … what made you go and comfort her?"

"Do you know how many times I have been hit by my father, Blaise? I know what it feels like to be hit for no reason. Thomas hit Ginny because he reckoned Potter was in love with her and he thought she was too. She isn't in love with Potter, of course,so I knew she didn't deserve to be hit like that. She got a pretty bad mark from that too …"

"Ok, so what happened next?"

"Well I saw her the next day and she seemed alright so I didn't talk to her much about it, but I couldn't stop thinking about her, it was like some kind of disease. Then, would you believe it, a few days later, Thomas cornered her _yet again_ and he hit her so hard he knocked her to the ground. By coincidence and chance, I was near where they were as I was heading to class and I saw Thomas knock her to the ground."

Draco growled, remembering the rush of anger he had felt when he saw Thomas hit Ginny to the ground. "So I slammed him against the wall, beat him up a bit and then carried Ginny to the hospital wing as she was too dizzy to walk. When we got to the hospital wing, however, shegrabbed my hand and asked me to stay with her …"

"That's why you didn't turn up to classes all afternoon! I was wondering where you were."

"So," Draco continued, getting a bit sick of Blaise interrupting his story. "I stayed with her and eventually got her friend, Higgins to stay with her. But would you believe it, a week later, she takes him back!"

"WHAT?!" Blaise sat up straight in his bed. "You're kidding me? She took him back even though he slapped her twice?" He suddenly realised something. "No wonder why you've been depressed all this time and why you were suddenly embarrassed when you bumped into Ginny at lunch yesterday. You were practically stuttering your words!"

"That's my explanation," said Draco, pulling the covers over himself and putting his head against his pillow. "I realised after she took him back that I was in love with her and was missing her so much. After that encounter with her yesterday, she followed me out to the grounds and wondered what was wrong with me. I told her that I cared about her and then I tried to kiss her, but she ran off."

"Damn," whispered Blaise, sighing.

"Wait, there's more." Draco turned to look at his friend directly in the eye. "When I walked out of the Great Hall yesterday, she grabbed me and dragged me behind that gargoyle and said she was sorry for running off and tried to kiss me. I was leaning in towards her too, but then we were interrupted byMr. Pathetic. He didn't see me, thank Merlin … and that's all that's happened until now."

Blaiselaidin his bed thinking hard. Finally he said "I think you should try and win her heart."

"Really?" Draco hadn't expected Blaise to say that. "Um, well …"

"Didn't expect me to say that, did you?" Blaise laughed, grinning. "What did you think I would beat you up or something?"

Draco shrugged his shoulders. "I thought you would disapprove and probably scream at me."

"Nah, it's really not that bad. If you were talking about Pansy, I would scream at you and probably murder you. Anyway, you need to somehow let Ginny know how you really feel about her. Show her how you are so much better than Thomas and won't treat her the same way Thomas treated her."

"Thanks, Blaise," Draco sighed. "I feel so much better about this now."

"Hey, what are friends for, Draco?"

Draco grinned and flicked his wand to lift the silencing charm. He put his wand on his bedside table and fell asleep, dreaming of the day when Ginny Weasley would finally break up with Dean Thomas.

* * *

Ginny woke up early the nextmorning, after a night of restless sleep. She still felt empty and heart broken even though she was the one who ended it. She sighed heavily, resting her head against her hands. Dean wasn't the first boyfriend she dumped so it was really no big deal.

At least it was easier to end it this time unlike, the time she broke up with Michael Corner. He kept pleading with her for at least two hours before accepting the fact she didn't want to see him anymore and ran off to comfort Harry's ex-girlfriend, Cho. If you ever called her Harry's girlfriend. From what Hermione told Ginny, all Cho ever wanted was to talk to Harry about Cedric all the time and would burst into tears when Harry said he didn't want to talk about Cedric.

'_Well their relationship fell apart anyway … kinda like mine and Dean.' _She started to cry again for at least the hundredth time in the past eight hours.

'_How could I be so stupid not to realise the way he was acting towards me? He was always putting his arm round my waist … now that I come to think of it his arm was always _too _low for my liking.' _

She slowly got out of bed and headed out to the bathroom to have a shower. Maybe that would drown out all the sorrows she had felt overnight. She closed the door behind her as she wiped her eyes dry and started to undress. Ginny then looked up at the mirror and saw how terrible she looked.

Her eyes were bloodshot from all the crying, her face was bright red and the flaming red hair fell flat from her head and was a rat's nest. She looked at her naked form in the mirror and started to cry again. That was what she looked like in Dean's eyes; something that was 'pleasurable' to look at and use to fill hisneeds and then toss her away like she meant nothing.

She walked into the shower and turned the water on, letting the water flow onto her body as the tears continued to fall down her face. '_Is this what boys all think of me?' _she thought sadly._ 'Just some pretty object to look at and if they were lucky, they would hold me in their arms and tell me they loved me to fool me. Then, if they were even luckier, they would eventually sleep with me. Isn't there anyone who doesn't think of me in this way?'_

Ginny rinsed the shampoo out of her hair, trying to think of someone who didn't think of her as just a pretty object and actually cared about her well being. Harry did, buthe was just a friend and he never had a crush on her as far as she knew. Ron was her brother and hated any guy who came near Ginny.

'_Boy__, he is gonna have a field day now that I've broken up with Dean,' _she grinned._ 'I hope he never finds out that Dean wanted sex all this time. I bet Draco will be thrilled too –'_

She froze on the spot, realising what she had just thought. Was she thinking that Malfoy will be thrilled that she had broken up with Dean?

'_Well he will be very happy; he does like you after all. And you like him too,__ didn't you? Why, you wanted to kiss him even when you were with Dean! And you almost did.'_

Ginny turned off the water and climbed out, drying herself while a million thoughts ran through her head. Malfoy was apparently the only guy at the moment that cared for her. Well, he comforted her after she was hit by Dean the first time, he beat up Dean when he hit her the second time, carried her to the hospital wing, andstayed with her for two hours and was warning her that Dean was using her.

'_Merlin__, why didn't I see that before? He is in love with me! Although I did ask him in some way whether he loved me, but he didn't really tell me. And he doesn't like me because of my looks, he cares about my well-being. I guess there is someone in the school who doesn't think of me as a pretty object, even if it is Draco Malfoy.'_

'_**But the question is, do you like **__**him - or rather - love **__**him in return?'**_

Ginny looked up in the mirror and didn't see herself, but rather Draco staring back at her. She blinked, but the image didn't disappear. Nervous butterflies crept up inside her as she gazed at the image of Draco Malfoy and she suddenly felt weak in the knees just looking at the handsome Slytherin.

He was smiling at her, the morning sun making his white blonde hair shine and to Ginny, his grey eyes didn't look stony, but rather a nice grey blue. They looked likea deep blue ocean and it was drawing her in.

With the towel wrapped around herself, she walked to the mirror and placed her hand upon it as if she was stroking his cheek. The Draco in the mirror smiled even more and closed his eyes at the touch. Ginny felt her heart leap and she leaned closer to the glass.

"Draco?" she whispered, her nose almost touching the glass.

A loud knock on the door interrupted her and Felicity's concerned voice floated from the other side. "Ginny? Are you in there?"

Ginny blinked and the image of Draco was gone and she was now looking at her own reflection. She felt a pang of loss and sadness that he wasn't in the mirror and staring at her wet reflection instead. She cursed Felicity in her mind for interrupting her little moment.

"Ginny? I know you're in there. I hope you're alright and not trying to drown yourself in the shower because that would be the stupidest thing to do right now. I just wanted to let you know breakfast is on now, but you don't have to come down if you're not up to it. I'll bring up toast from the Great Hall if you want."

Ginny cleared her throat. "No, I'll be fine, Flick," she replied in a weak voice.

"Ok. I'll be back in about half an hour. Feel better, Gin."

Ginny heard Felicity walk away and close the dormitory door behind her. She really didn't feel like going to breakfast for three reasons. One, Dean would be there and she wasn't up to facing him yet. Two, she still looked terrible. And three, sheneeded more time to think alone.

She got dressed in her uniform, quickly dried her hair and left the bathroom. She sat on her bed and thought back to what she saw in the mirror. No, she wasn't thinking of what she saw, but of what she _thought _as she looked at him. She thought of him as handsome and that his eyes looked like a deep blue ocean. There was something about his smile that made her insides flutter and made her feel lighter than air.

Could she be in love with him too?

'_No__, I can't be. He is an arrogant, selfish brat to everyone else and he's supposed to be my enemy! Besides my family hates his family and Ron hates him unlike anyone else on earth. Besides, Dr – Malfoy would never like me in that way.'_

'_**But he's been nice to you over the past few weeks. He's been kind of a friend, helping you out and giving you encouragement. And you thought of him as handsome and nice after he comforted you. **_

'_**Also, do you remember the day when you saw him staring at you? He looked like he was in love with you then … you felt a little flushed afterwards, remember? You're falling for him so bad. Admit it.'**_

Ginny gasped as she realised the voice in her head was right. She was in love. She was in love with Draco Malfoy, of all people. And what seemed weird to her was that it felt right no matter how wrong it really was. She wanted to be with him and have his comforting arms wrapped around her.

What was she going to do now?


End file.
